In less than a week after LS elections where BJP won 25 of 28 seats in the state, and only 2 days after forming government at the Centre, it has lost Karnataka Local Body elections. Though counting is still underway, Congress is in a comfortable lead by winning 509 seats against BJP’s 366.
The elections to 1,361 wards, spread across eight city municipal councils, 33 town municipal councils and 22 town panchayats, were held on May 29.
Following are the results of the seats declared so far;
Total Seats: 1361
Declared Seats: 1221
Won by Congress: 509
Won by BJP: 366
Won by JD(S): 174
Won by others: 5
According to NDTV, BJP has fared better in town panchayats as it has won on 126 of the 290 declared seats, while Congress has secured 97 wards. Congress, on other hand, has swept the urban areas. The party has won 90 of the 217 declared wards in city municipality wards and 322 of the 714 town municipality wards. BJP secured 56 and 184 seats respectively.
Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao said that Congress winning nearly 42% of the seats shows that the people are with the party. “What surprises me is how did BJP lose after winning by huge margins in the Lok Sabha,” he tweeted. “Needs investigation.”
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala raised the issue of discrepancy in the results when EVMs are used under the state and central Election Commission. He said those EVMs used during the local body polls were under Karnataka’s chief electoral officer (CEO), and produced a different result for his party.
"In LS polls, EVM's under Central Election Commission used. In ULB polls, EVM's under State CEO used. Glad that people changed their mind and chose Congress," he said on Twitter.
